Rep. J. Paul Brown said Friday that it’s in the entire state’s best interest to study the potential of one or more reservoirs on the Eastern Plains in the South Platte River basin to capture Colorado water before it flows away to Nebraska.

The bill passed out of the Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources Committee, 13-0, this week. The Republican from Ignacio saw a similar piece of legislation he sponsored get smacked down by the Democrat-led House Appropriations Committee over its $937,959 price tag. A leaner version this year comes in at $211,168. The bill now heads back to the House Appropriations Committee.

“It’s just a really important issue for the whole state,” Brown said. “It’s real important that we store that water we’re entitled to instead of losing it to Nebraska. We don’t have enough water on the Western Slope to keep sending more to the Front Range.”

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet marveled at Colorado’s beauty on his first trip to the eastern plains in 2009. (Lynn Bartels, The Denver Post)

This time of the year I can expect a phone call from U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet during his tour of the eastern plains.

We reminisce about his first trek through farm country, in 2009, after the Denver school superintendent and political neophyte was appointed to the Senate by then Gov. Bill Ritter. I accompanied Bennet on that trip, which I wrote about for the Denver Post:

As Bennet headed south on Colorado 59 toward Yuma, he pulled off at County Road 53, got out of the car and slowly turned 360 degrees, surveying flat farm country, the part of Colorado that doesn’t appear on tourism brochures.

The picture was taken exactly two years ago today as Bennet toured the Eastern Plains. I can still recall the awe in Bennet’s voice when he saw the sunflowers and pulled off to the side of the road.

It wasn’t the only time he would marvel at the scenery:

As Bennet headed south on Colorado 59 toward Yuma, he pulled off at County Road 53, got out of the car and slowly turned 360 degrees, surveying flat farm country, the part of Colorado that doesn’t appear on tourism brochures.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.